


My Mind Won't Stop

by Half



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 19:03:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11110902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: “Sweetheart. I’m ready for anything.”Waverly’s eyes snap open at the same time that she takes in a sharp gasp, and her lungs fill with ice cold air. She starts to choke, the chilled dryness assaulting her throat. There’s snow seeping through her clothes, a dull thudding pain in her head, and it’s so dark that she can barely see.She doesn’t know where she is or how she got there.





	My Mind Won't Stop

_“Sweetheart. I’m ready for anything.”_

Waverly’s eyes snap open at the same time that she takes in a sharp gasp, and her lungs fill with ice cold air. She starts to choke, the chilled dryness assaulting her throat. There’s snow seeping through her clothes, a dull thudding pain in her head, and it’s so dark that she can barely see.

She doesn’t know where she is or how she got there.

Waverly sits up slowly, her hazy vision blurring further. There’s something hard and metal under her right hand, and when she picks it up, she realizes that it’s her gun.

She blinks rapidly to clear her vision, and in the dim light she opens the chamber.

No bullets.

When she left the house that morning, the revolver was full.

And she has no memory of firing it.

Waverly stumbles to her feet, trying to gain her bearings before night sinks around her. There’s a sprinting sound, boots crunching into slush, and she’s suddenly tackled to the ground.

“Make your peace, you piece of-”

_“Wynonna?”_

Her sister, sitting on top of her with Peacemaker pointed at her face, freezes. “Waverly?”

“Uh, yeah? Who the hell did you think it was?”

“There’s a Rev in here, and- wait.” Wynonna squints down at her. “Waverly, do you not remember what you did?”

Waverly can see a gash in Wynonna’s cheek and fear in her eyes, and suddenly she’s very worried about where those bullets disappeared to.

“I-I don’t… I… Uh…” Waverly frowns, struggling to think. “I remember asking you if you were ready. But then I… I don’t really… The next thing I knew was waking up in the snow.”

“Baby girl, what are you talking about? You shot a Revhead in the face.”

“I did?”

“Yeah? He’s really pissed at us. I have no idea where the shit Doc is. I thought he was with you. You don’t remember anything?”

Waverly rubs at her head, confusion flooding through her. “The last thing I remember is asking you if you were ready. Then I woke up in the snow.”

“Well, apparently you amnesiaed your way through some badass, because you shot a demon through the fucking face, and it was awesome.” Wynonna takes her by the chin and tilts up her head. “Are you feeling okay? Did you get hit in the head? Too much cold air? How the hell did you manage…”

She trails off as they hear a loud yell, and a Revenant appears out from the trees.

“Shit,” Wynonna mutters.

She tries to raise Peacemaker, but before she can, she’s knocked into the snow by the Revenant.

The Buntline Special skids out of Wynonna’s hand, and the Revenant pins her down, his hands around her throat. His eyes glow as he snarls, “Which one of you shot me?”

“Her,” Wynonna rasps. “If I had, you’d be burning in a pit right now.”

“Then I’ll kill you first anyway.”

Waverly is standing there, soaking wet and cold, with no bullets in her gun, no ability to use Peacemaker, and nothing to do but watch as a demon strangles her sister.

No, that’s not right. She can’t allow that. She doesn’t just sit there and let things happen, dammit, and she’s not just going to-

She blinks, and the Revenant is on the ground, his head turned half around.

Wynonna is staring up at her.

“Wh- What… Wynonna, what just happened?”

“Not here,” her sister says, oddly subdued. She gets to her feet and picks up Peacemaker, then shoots the Revenant in the forehead.

Lit by the brief flames of hell, Waverly can more clearly see Wynonna’s face.

She looks somewhere between afraid and proud, and Waverly really isn’t sure which emotion is winning out.

“Wynonna, please,” Waverly whispers. “What’s happening?”

“Baby girl… You… You dragged him off of me. A-And, uh… Snapped his neck.”

Waverly stares down at the spot where the Revenant had been and tries to remember it. Finds that she can’t. And doesn’t even know what to think.

“Wynonna,” Waverly murmurs, her hands shaking. “What’s wrong with me?”

She’s a little embarrassed by the relief she feels when Wynonna tugs her into a hug. “I don’t know, kiddo,” Wynonna admits, her voice soft in Waverly’s ear. “But we’ll figure it out.”

She pats Waverly roughly on the back. “C’mon. We need to find Doc.”

“Right. Of course. We should go.”

But Waverly freezes in places when Wynonna brushes past her, Peacemaker bumping against the skin of her arm.

And it _burns_.

 

+++++

 

“You’re sure Bobo didn’t hit you in the head or something?” Wynonna asks, crouched down in front of Waverly and holding her little sister’s face by the chin.

“Wynonna, I swear, nothing happened,” Waverly mumbles. “I yelled at him for what was happening, he preached a bit, then he left.” She snorts. “Guess he still liked me, or something.”

“Well, that demon we were fighting packed a mighty fine punch,” Doc says, leaning in the doorway. “It might have simply been his doing.”

“Doubt it. She can’t remember things from _before_ he showed up.”

Waverly swats Wynonna’s hand away and leans back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Yeah, sure, but concussions can screw up with memory from before the event. It happens all the time.”

“And the neck breaking?” Wynonna demands. “Is that also a sign of a concussion?”

“I don’t know _what_ it is, Wynonna. Okay? I’m fine.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.”

Wynonna takes Waverly’s face between her hands and kisses her on the forehead. “I think you should stay here.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“Doc and I are going to go see if we can grab Dolls.” Wynonna pauses. “Also maybe stop a missile.”

Waverly, staring down at her hand and rubbing her palm, nods. “Yeah. Go ahead. I think I did maybe hit my head, so… I think I’ll go check on Nicole and just rest for a bit while you guys are gone.”

Doc pulls his hat down a bit, covering his eyes. Wynonna doesn’t seem to notice anything wrong, patting Waverly on the cheek. “Good idea, baby girl. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

 

+++++

 

“Can I hug you, or is that going to break your ribs?” Waverly jokes weakly as Nicole opens the door to her apartment.

Nicole gives her a smile that shakes her right to the core, the kind of smile Waverly had, not twenty-four hours prior, thought that she’d never see again.

“You won’t break me that easily, Waverly Earp.”

She pulls Waverly forward and hugs her gently, softly stroking the back of Waverly’s hair.

“Is everything okay?” Nicole asks in a low whisper.

Waverly snuggles her face into Nicole’s neck and sighs. “Better now.”

 

+++++

 

They sit on Nicole’s couch, a tangled mess of limbs carefully arranged so as not to put too much pressure on the spot where Willa put a bullet into Nicole’s bulletproof vest.

Nicole kisses the spot behind Waverly’s ear that brings up far too many memories, then murmurs, “Hey. What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t do that.” Nicole runs her knuckles up and down Waverly’s spine. “C’mon. Don’t do that to me.”

Waverly rests her head on Nicole’s shoulder and sighs. “I don’t know, Nicole. That’s the thing. I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

“I’ll admit that I’m still a little confused by what exactly is going on in this town,” Nicole says, pressing a kiss to Waverly’s temple, “but if you talk to me, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

Waverly just sits there in silence for a long moment, taking comfort in the warmth of Nicole’s arms wrapped around her. “I keep having blackouts.”

“Blackouts?”

“Wynonna, Doc, and I were out where… where the line is. And we were just having a conversation, and then the next thing I knew I was lying in the snow. I had been through an entire fight and chase with this Revenant, and I didn’t even know it. Then when Wynonna caught up with me, the Revenant did too, and I snapped his neck. Without even realizing I was doing it.”

Her voice now a whisper, Waverly struggles to get up from the couch. “I should go. I don’t know what’s happening, and I might be dangerous, and I don’t want to-”

Nicole tightens her grip and tugs Waverly back against her, grunting softly as the motion bumps her ribs. “No you don’t. Hey. Look, we’ll figure this out, Wave.”

“What if we don’t? What if it just keeps happening?”

“The smartest woman in the world is in this room,” Nicole says. “We’ll figure it out.” She pokes Waverly in the side and grins. “Oh, and I guess you can contribute, too.”

Waverly laughs and turns her head, kissing Nicole on the side of the mouth. “Why can’t I black out your sarcasm? At least that would be useful.”

“You’d lose about eighty percent of our relationship. Do you really want that? I’m hurt, Waverly.”

With another laugh, Waverly puts her head back down on Nicole’s shoulder and rests her forehead against Nicole’s cheek. “Trust me,” she whispers. “If there’s anything I would never want to forget, it’s you.”

 

+++++

 

Wynonna and Doc return with Dolls, all of them at least a little bruised and bloody.

Nicole and Waverly meet them in the Black Badge office, Nicole hovering a bit nervously by the door. When she sees Dolls, the first thing she says is, “Treason jail, huh? Must’ve sucked.”

He stares at her for a moment, then snorts out half a laugh. “I don’t think you’re getting a badge, Haught.”

She shrugs. “I have one of my own.”

As the three discuss security methods to ensure that the rest of Black Badge doesn’t try to follow them, Nicole leans over to Waverly and whispers, “There has to be information in here, right?”

“What do you mean?” Waverly murmurs back.

“Do you really think that you’re just having normal blackouts?”

Waverly squeezes Nicole’s hand. “We’ll see.”

 

+++++

 

Wynonna and the boys make a plan to head out to the line. Before they leave, Wynonna grips Waverly’s shoulder. “Hey. How are you feeling, baby girl?”

“I’m fine,” Waverly lies. “Still getting my head together, but I feel better.”

“As long as you’re sure.”

Waverly strains a grin. “Go.”

They head out, but Doc stops next to her, shooting a small glance at Nicole. The cop wanders over to look at the cork board, and Doc says, “Waverly Earp, you are not the type to step back from a fight. And you let Wynonna leave you behind when we went to get Dolls. So my question is whether you’re really alright, or whether you’re lying through your teeth. I’m pretty certain I know which one it is. Your poker face isn’t nearly as good as you think.”

“Doc,” Waverly says carefully, “I promise you that I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

“Hm. I’m not sure I believe you.”

“I’m not sure I care.”

He stares at her for a moment before nodding. “Just do try not to back yourself into a corner you can’t shoot your way out of.”

Waverly glances at Nicole, who’s still staring at the board. “If I do, I have a second gun to back me up.”

 

+++++

 

She walks out to her Jeep in the parking lot, trying to focus through her thudding headache.

When she blinks, she finds herself pinning Nicole against the roll cage, her hand gripping the neck of Nicole’s sweater.

“Sorry,” Nicole is saying, surprise in her eyes. “I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that. I wasn’t thinking; I just wanted to make sure you were okay to drive home.”

Waverly swallows, slowly releasing Nicole’s shirt. “Er, I’m not sure. I think I’ll be okay.”

“You’re positive? I can drive if you want.” She gives a bright grin. “The meds for the ribs aren’t _that_ strong.”

“I’m positive.” Waverly strokes her fingertips down the line of Nicole’s jaw. “Trust me, though,” she murmurs. “One of these days, you’re _absolutely_ coming home with me.”

Nicole flushes, just enough to make her even more adorable, and dips her head bashfully. “You know that wasn’t what I was angling for.”

“Oh, I know. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to go there.” Waverly tugs Nicole forward and kisses her hard on the mouth. “I still have to pay you back for wearing that dress,” she murmurs against Nicole’s lips.

“That’s really cruel,” Nicole mutters.

“At least my sister isn’t walking up to us this time.”

Nicole laughs, a sound that warms Waverly’s entire body. “Don’t tempt fate that much, Wave.”

Waverly hugs her gently. “I’m not sure that fate can do anything more to us,” she whispers.

 

+++++

 

She stops in the middle of the road to the Homestead and gets out of her Jeep, walking out into the dark, snowy field. She takes in a long, slow, deep breath, the icy chill filling her lungs.

As she stares up at the moon, she murmurs, “What’s happening to me?”

She, expectedly, gets no answer from the cold night.

Frustration prickling through her, Waverly heads back to her Jeep, taking a swing at a tree sitting on the side of the road as she passes it.

And freezes in fear when her fist leaves a dent that she doesn’t even feel.

 

+++++

 

Waverly wouldn’t call it hiding, but she’s been sleeping in one of the empty bedrooms upstairs for a week and hasn’t left the room at all when anybody else is in the house.

When her door opens, she prepares to yell at Wynonna to leave her alone for the fifth time that day. Instead, she sees Nicole enter.

“You know,” Nicole says, leaning against the door, “if you really didn’t want me to drive you, just saying so is fine. This is a little dramatic.”

“I’m really not in the mood to talk, Nicole,” Waverly mumbles.

“Good. We aren’t talking, anyway.”

Waverly snorts. “I’m not in the mood for _that_ , either.”

“Now you’re just being petty.” Nicole holds out a hand, giving her the dimpled smile that Waverly is pretty sure made her fall in love in the first place. “C’mon, Earp. Let’s get out of here.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole drives her out to what Waverly is pretty sure is the middle of nowhere on the edge of town.

“What are we doing?” Waverly asks.

“You seem like you need to vent some irritations,” Nicole says as she gets out of her cruiser. “So that’s what we’re gonna do.”

She walks around to the trunk and pulls out a bag, then walks out to a small wooden fence that marks the town line. Waverly gets out of the car and watches, brow furrowed in confusion, as Nicole sets up targets on the posts.

“Nic, what are you doing?”

Nicole walks back over to her, taking her handgun off of her belt and holding it out to Waverly. “Whatever is going on in your head, you need to get rid of it. We’re going to figure out why you’ve been having blackouts. But we can’t do that until you’re willing to talk about it.”

“I-I don’t… Nicole, what if I…”

“You’re fine,” Nicole says gently. “Okay? I just can’t help you if you don’t give me a way to do it, Wave. That’s all I want.”

Waverly hesitates before taking the gun, checking the magazine and the safety before lining up in front of one of the targets.

“I know how to use a gun,” she jokes. “So no hands on demonstrations, Haught.”

Nicole leans in behind her, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. “No?”

Waverly grins and shoves her shoulder backwards at Nicole. “No. Go away.”

“Whatever, dude.” Nicole raises her hands and takes a step backwards, a smirk playing across her lips.

Waverly fires, hitting the nine ring easily. “See? Told you.”

She hears Nicole chuckle behind her. “Yes, Waverly, I believed you.”

“I’m just making sure you understand. I wouldn’t want-”

Waverly is suddenly holding an empty gun, and Nicole is staring at her, jaw slack and eyes wide.

“How the hell did you do that?”

Waverly’s stomach is in her feet as she asks, “Do what?”

Nicole points at the target, and Waverly slowly turns.

There are eight holes dead in center ten ring.

Waverly swallows nervously, and a shiver runs through her as Nicole runs her fingers up her spine.

“You don’t remember doing it,” Nicole whispers. “Do you?”

“No,” Waverly admits, her voice hoarse.

“You didn’t remember pinning me to the Jeep the other day either, did you?”

“… Nope.”

Nicole turns her around and pulls her into a firm hug that contains every bit of emotion that has ever been between them.

“We’ll figure it out, Waverly,” she murmurs in Waverly’s ear. “I promise.”

Waverly clings to her, burying her face in Nicole’s neck. “I hope so.”

 

+++++

 

They sneak into the Black Badge Office while Wynonna investigates “something involving hot firefighters.” Waverly sits down with a book she dug out from a desk, while Nicole starts digging through file folders in the cabinet.

“I can’t believe how much stuff is… well, _real_ ,” Nicole murmurs, staring at a file on hellhounds.

“Sometimes I think we all struggle with it. And my entire ancestry has been killed by demons.”

“This is…”

Waverly glances up and sees Nicole holding a faded picture that she had found of Jack.

“Yeah,” she whispers. “That’s the Revenant that almost killed you.”

“Heart did stop for a bit there,” Nicole mumbles.

“I’m pretty sure mine would’ve too if I hadn’t gotten you back.”

Nicole raises her head, finally tearing her gaze away from the photo. “Are you flirting with me over my memories of my near death experience?”

“… Maybe.”

Nicole laughs softly and puts the photograph away. “Get back to work, Wave.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly watches as Dolls hunts through one of the file cabinets. After a few seconds, he leans out of the door to the office and calls for Nicole.

When Nicole steps into the room, her hands linked behind her back, Dolls crosses his arms and frowns.

“Officer Haught, I understand that you’re a little new to this side of the door.”

“Uhm. Yes?”

“It’s a learning curve. But that doesn’t mean that you take files home with you just so that you can catch up, got it?”

Nicole flushes red, and Waverly can tell that she’s trying desperately not to glance in her direction.

“Understood, sir.”

“Bring them back.” Dolls pushes past her and heads out of the room.

Waverly bursts into laughter. “Smooth, Officer Haught. Very well done.”

“Just be glad that I didn’t rat you out, Earp.”

“You’re a lot smarter than that.”

“Gee, thanks.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly is worried about going out into the field before she’s figured out the source of her blackouts, but she’s more worried about Wynonna wondering why she isn’t.

They’re in an old barn, looking at a cow that’s been carved up with pentagrams.

“This is a little on the nose, don’t you think?” Wynonna says, tracing a star in the air with a finger. “I mean seriously. This looks less ‘legit evil at play’ and more ‘teenagers pretending to summon Satan’.”

“Rituals like these do, in certain cultures and contexts, have genuine merit for curses and other spells,” Dolls says, crouched down and squinting at the cow.

“Dude, seriously, please just _try_ to be cool. For like five minutes.”

As they continue to bicker, Nicole stands next to Waverly and gently squeezes her hand. “Are you okay?” she whispers.

“Yeah. Thank you. I wouldn’t be able to be out here right now if it weren’t for you.”

Nicole shrugs. “You know all you have to do is ask and I’d do anything.”

“God. That’s a bit too much pressure.”

With a muffled laugh, Nicole squeezes her hand again. “I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly and Wynonna head into the barn to sort through the weaponry stashed inside, looking for a flamethrower.

“Why do you need this again?” Waverly asks. “Besides the fact that they’re awesome, I mean.”

“Big spiders,” Wynonna says. “ _Reaaaaalllllyyyyy_ big spiders.”

“Gross.”

“Agreed.”

“I’ve never been able to figure out why Dolls bothers with all of this crap when I have Peacemaker.”

Waverly shrugs as she examines a grenade before putting it back into a box. “Is Peacemaker a flamethrower?”

Wynonna points at her. “Very good argument.” She takes her gun off of her belt and spins it. “But, I mean… Look at the perfection. None of Dolls’s lameass _Modern Warfare_ toys would stand a single chance against a demon. And Peacemaker has _character_ , y’know? He knows who is and who isn’t a bitch and a half.”

She accidentally swings the gun too close to Waverly, and the barrel bounces off of the back of Waverly’s hand.

Without thinking about it, Waverly flinches and pulls her hand away, wincing in pain from the burn.

She’s pretty sure she’d rather die than see the look on her sister’s face.

“You… But that’s not… We’re on the Homestead how can a Revenant be on…”

“No, Wynonna, it’s not what it looks like, please…”

Wynonna is backing away and Waverly is raising her hands and it’s not working.

None of it is working.

And when Wynonna, her hands shaking, raises Peacemaker to point it at her baby sister, Waverly’s vision goes black.

 

+++++

 

Nicole sprints into the barn at the sound of fighting and finds Wynonna and Waverly throwing each other around the room.

“Christ,” she whispers.

Panic surges through her as Wynonna places a well-timed kick to the center of Waverly’s chest, sprawling her onto the floor. Wynonna points her gun at the woman at her feet and snarls, “What did you do to my sister? Huh? _WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER?_ ”

“Wynonna, _don’t_!”

Nicole races forward, shoving Wynonna backwards and away from Waverly.

“That’s not her, Nicole,” Wynonna says. “It’s not. Peacemaker burns her. It’s not Waverly. I don’t know what it is or how it’s here. But it’s not… It’s not _her_.”

“Yes. It is. I really don’t have the time to explain it right now, but that’s actually Waverly. If you kill her, you’re killing your little sister.”

Wynonna stares at her. “Low blow, Haught.”

“Honest blow.”

Waverly jumps to her feet, shoving Nicole aside and advancing towards Wynonna. Her eyes flicker black briefly, and she raises a fist to start the fight again, but Nicole grabs her arm from behind and holds her in place.

Wynonna takes a step forward, staring at her sister’s face. “Waves? C’mon, Waverly, if that’s really you, now would be a really good time to prove it.” She cups Waverly’s face in one hand. “C’mon, baby girl.”

There’s another moment or two of struggle, then Waverly relaxes in Nicole’s grip, and her eyes regain their light. She blinks and looks around the room before flushing red.

“Oh, shit.”

 

+++++

 

“Why didn’t you tell us? Tell _me_?” Wynonna demands, sitting across from Waverly with her arms crossed.

“I was scared,” Waverly admits. “When I realized that Peacemaker burned, I… I didn’t know what to think.”

“Do you know what’s happening to you?”

Waverly shakes her head and sighs. “Nicole and I have been doing research. Trying to figure it out. But we don’t have any answers yet.” She runs a hand over her face. “I’m sorry, Wynonna. For not telling you. I just… I don’t know what to do.”

Wynonna reaches over and grips her sister’s knee. “Well, you don’t have to do it alone.”

With a small smile, Waverly says, “Well, I wasn’t alone when I was with Nicole, either.”

“Who, Officer Smartass, indoctrinated like a week ago? Uh, no. Sorry. She does not count.”

They laugh for a while, until Waverly gets up and sits next to Wynonna, resting her head on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“For what?”

“Not shooting me.”

Wynonna gives a soft, strained laugh. “Any time, kid.”

 

+++++

 

Dolls sits Waverly down across from him, his hands folded neatly on the table in the Black Badge office.

“How are you feeling, Earp?”

She gives a strained smile. “You called me Earp.”

“Of course.”

As she rubs the back of her neck, Waverly says, “I’ve been better. I’m still having the headaches. A few blackouts. I’m never really sure what I do during them, but I don’t seem to be _controlled_ by anything. Like… the things I’m aware that I’m doing are all either legitimate things like better aim or things my brain might interpret as self-defense.”

“Yes. That’s why I pulled a favor here in the sheriff’s department. To run your blood.”

Waverly raises an eyebrow. “For what?”

Dolls’s expression softens just slightly. “Similarities.”

“To… oh.” Waverly swallows tightly. “And?”

“There _is_ something active in your blood. But I got a tooth sample from Gus, and the same thing has been there since you were at _least_ seven. Just dormant.”

“What is it?”

“Not Revenant, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Waverly lets out the breath she had been holding as she says, “No; it wasn’t.”

“But…”

“But what?”

Dolls sighs and bows his head, holding a piece of paper out to her. “It _is_ demon, Waverly.”

Waverly feels her blood go ice cold, and for a moment she fears she’s going to blackout again. After what seems like ages, she rasps out, “W-What… does that mean?”

“It means that… for whatever reason. You have demon blood. Partial. You’re still at least 50% human.”

Her hands trembling, Waverly whispers, “Bobo was telling the truth.”

“What?”

“He said I wasn’t an Earp.” She raises her gaze to meet Dolls’s. “And he was right.”

 

+++++

 

“Why are you even still here?” Waverly asks as Nicole drives her home.

“Uhm. Well my shift just ended.”

“Nicole. I’m being serious. You should’ve dumped me by now.”

“Why?”

Waverly looks at her. “I’m a fucking _demon_ , Nicole.”

“Yes, and that is both uncomfortable and unfortunate.”

_“Unfor-”_

“But you’re still _you_.”

Waverly stares at her, the silence in the car palpable.

“You’re still you, Waverly.”

Waverly turns her attention back to the road outside. “I don’t think I deserve you, you know.”

Nicole laughs. “Please. It’s the other way around, dude. Trust me on this.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole walks into the barn, confusion etched on her face. “Why am I meant to come here and bring scissors?”

Wynonna glances up at her from her spot, hunched over a boiling pot with Doc and Dolls. “Oh, good, Nicole, you’re here.”

“That didn’t answer the question.”

“Well, Dolls figured out a potiony kinda thingamabob that should help Waverly get control of those blackouts. But it needs hair from somebody that Waverly loves.”

Nicole snorts. “Do I get to take a knife to you? Because that can only be fun.”

“Why me?”

“Uh… Because you’re her sister and she loves you?”

“Wrong answer.” Wynonna plucks the scissors out of Nicole’s hands and shoves her into a chair. “Don’t worry, Haught, I’ll try to be delicate.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly squints at the bottle of awful purple liquid in her hand.

Then she squints at Nicole’s hair, cut short so that it falls just to her chin.

Then she squints back at the bottle.

“I’m not supposed to _drink_ that, right?”

“No. You, like, rub it on your forehead or something. It’s very _Lion King_.”

“Mhm.” Waverly looks up at Nicole again. “And what are we calling what my sister did to your head?”

Nicole self-consciously runs a hand through her hair. “I didn’t think it looked bad.”

“Oh, no, I mean, it’s hot, but she didn’t exactly go _subtle_ with it.”

“No. No, she did not.”

Waverly sighs and shakes her head. “Sometimes I swear.” She takes some of the pastey liquid out and spreads it onto her forehead.

After about a minute, she says, “Am I supposed to feel something?”

“Dude. I am not Dolls.”

“Then why did I do this right now?”

Nicole hesitates. “Which answer won’t get me in trouble?”

“Not answering.”

“Then I have no comment.”

Waverly frowns. “I wonder if-” She shudders so badly that she almost drops the bottle in her hand and has to set it down on the table. “Shit.”

“Waves?”

“Okay. Yeah. That hurts. A lot.”

Nicole rests a hand on her shoulder. “Do you need me to get Dolls?”

“I need you to bash me in the head with a brick and put me out of my misery.”

Before Nicole can reply, Waverly starts to fall, and her vision goes black.

 

+++++

 

When Waverly opens her eyes, she’s back in her own bed, and her sister is dozing in a chair next to her.

The headache that has been an incessant thud in the back of her mind is gone. And for a moment, she thinks the rest of it is gone, too.

To test it, she picks up an old clock radio that Willa had once thrown at her head.

And easily crushes it in her hand.

“That’s going to take some getting used to,” Wynonna says.

Waverly turns and sees that her sister is watching her, a faint smirk on her face.

“I don’t understand. I thought that potion-”

“It suppressed the whole ‘blackout’ thing. Not the power itself. That’s just a fact of life now. After all… I mean… you’re a…” Wynonna trails off, discomfort visible.

“A demon?” Waverly finishes harshly.

“Please don’t sound so upset.”

“Why not? I’m the thing our family is supposed to kill. Oh wait, that’s right, it’s _not_ my family, because apparently Mama had a kid with a goddamn _demon_.”

“Hey!” Wynonna leans forward, her eyes blazing. “Listen to me. You listen to me right now. I don’t give a _shit_ what your blood says. You are family. You are _my_ family. You are an _Earp_. Nothing changes that.”

Waverly doesn’t answer, staring at the ceiling. “I’m the very thing I’m meant to hate,” she whispers.

“No, you aren’t.” Wynonna pats her shoulder a bit roughly. “You, baby girl, are _Waverly Earp_. And if you aren’t going to let any demon get in the way, why let some stupid blood demon stop you? C’mon. You’re better than that.”

“What if it’s not enough? What if it’s not enough to try to be better?”

“Then you be better than even that.” Wynonna kisses her on the forehead. “You’re the best of all of us, kid. If I’m never going to forget that, you damn well better not either.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly and Nicole sit on the hood of Waverly’s Jeep, watching the ducks swim in the lake. Waverly leans against Nicole’s shoulder and sighs heavily.

“I don’t know what I would do without you, you know.”

Nicole shrugs on the side she’s not leaning on. “You’d survive.”

Waverly punches her leg. _“Nicole!”_

“What?” Nicole laughs. “It’s true! You, my friend, do not need me. I’m just a very pretty accessory.”

“Mm.” Waverly tugs her down for a kiss. “You _are_ very pretty.”

“Thank you.”

Waverly links her arm with Nicole’s and returns her gaze to the water. “Do you know what I said to Wynonna? To get her to hand Peacemaker over to Willa when she was holding you at gunpoint?”

“No. I figured that, whatever it was, I would know if you wanted me to.”

“I _do_ want you to know.” Waverly presses a kiss to Nicole’s shoulder and lowers her voice to a murmur. “It was that I love you.”

Nicole looks down at her quickly, shock in her eyes. “What?”

“I love you, Nicole Haught. Don’t worry. You don’t have to say it back. I just… I had to make sure it was said.”

Nicole lifts Waverly’s chin and kisses her, long and slow. “I love you too, Waverly Earp.”

Waverly grins. “Good.”

“Even if you’re a demon.”

Waverly punches her.

“Too soon?”

“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” Waverly grumbles, settling against Nicole’s side as the sun starts to set.

 

+++++

 

A Revenant tries to run past Waverly, and she feels a burst of adrenaline as she grabs him easily and tosses him backwards into Wynonna’s path.

“I’m starting to like this,” Waverly says, a broad grin on her face.

“I’m liking not having to run as much as I used to,” Wynonna jokes as she shoots the Revenant between the eyes. “Doc, you and Wave head north and see if you can find Dolls and Nicole, would you? I’m going to hunt down that other bastard.”

“Alrighty then,” Doc says with a nod and a tip of his hat.

They head into the trees, Doc refilling his revolver as he walks.

“You know, Waverly, I knew Wyatt Earp for many years.”

“You would’ve met him around the end of 1877 or beginning of 1878, so-”

“Ahem.”

“Sorry.”

Doc smirks as he continues, “As I was saying, I knew him for many years, so I got to know his character. And from reading the files on all of the heirs, I think I’ve gotten a handle on all of their character, as well.”

Waverly fidgets awkwardly with her gloves. “Where are you going with this, Doc?”

“The point, Waverly Earp, is that out of every single member of your family- blood or not?” He taps a finger to the center of her collarbone. “ _You_ are the one who is most like Wyatt Earp. Legacy takes many forms. It’s a wild creature. Unharnessable. You can’t just confine it to bloodline and magical heirs. It takes a bit of something else. And you, Waverly Earp, are that something else.”

Waverly tries not to grin as she nods. “Thank you.”

“Now, am I gonna get a chance to shoot something or not?”

She laughs. “I think that can be arranged.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly creeps into the living room where Wynonna is passed out on the couch, Peacemaker tucked into its holster on the arm above her head and an empty whiskey bottle on the floor.

She has to be very, very careful, but she learned when she was three how to get around the Homestead without drunken Earps hearing her and catching her.

Waverly slowly, cautiously, without even breathing, picks up the holster from above Wynonna’s head and carries it into the kitchen, where she sets it down on the table and stares at it.

“I am still an Earp,” she whispers to herself. “No matter what. I am an Earp. I am Wyatt’s legacy. I’m an _Earp_.”

Tentatively, still repeating her mantra under her breath, she pulls Peacemaker out of its holster, holding the carved metal in her hands.

It doesn’t burn.


End file.
